Subject:
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Re: Will RCX work on PowerBook G3?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.robotics
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Date:
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Thu, 6 Apr 2000 02:20:06 GMT
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In article <B50F628E.9BC%jdjones@earthling.net>, "Jennifer D. Jones"
<jdjones@earthling.net> wrote:
> In lugnet.robotics, Matthew Wilkins writes:
> > Two things:
> > 1. The proper cable to hook a Mindstorms IR Tower to a Mac isn't that
> > creative; it's available from http://pitsco-legodacta-store.com/ in the
> > RoboLab components page. It's just a Mac serial to 9-pin serial cable.
> >
> > 2. There shouldn't be any reason that the IR port on your PB wouldn't
> > program
> > the RCX; it should only be a SMOP for the output to the IR port.
As for item #2, it won't work. IR on a PowerBook (and almost every
other IR capable computer) is IrDA. See my previous posts for more
info....
http://www.lugnet.com/robotics/?n=10347
http://www.lugnet.com/robotics/?n=5521
> I am having difficulties hooking up RoboLab to a PowerBook G3. First, I
> am
> used to a Windows machine, but have had exposure to Macintoshes for many
> years. The PowerBook differs from a regular Macintosh as it does not
> have a
> real 9-pin serial cable output (that port is an external video port).
Just to set the record straight...that video port may look similar to a
serial port, but its quite different. Its basically a hybrid connector
that can accept either an S-Video cable, or a special adapter that has
NTSC video signals.
> Here is the list of ports available on a PowerBook G3: Sound output port,
> Sound input port, 2 USB ports, Ethernet port, SCSI port, External TV out
> port, External video port, Internal modem port.
There are a lot of different powerbooks carrying the "PowerBook G3"
label on them. Some have serial ports, some have USB instead. From the
sound of it, you have what is officially known as the PowerBook G3
Series (1999), unofficially known as "Lombard".
For the most part, the fact that its a PowerBook doesn't matter...the
issue is that it doesn't have the traditional Mac 8-pin serial ports.
All recent Macintoshes (from the iMac on) are in the same boat.
> Before I buy any more connectors or adapters, I would like to know if
> RoboLab has worked on a PowerBook G3, and especially if it has output
> information to the RCX Brick. If it has, what was the connection setup
> for
> this?
There are a variety of USB/Serial converters out there. Personally I
like the Keyspan Serial Twin adapter. It provides two 8-pin mac serial
ports, one of which can be optionally designated as the "printer" port
(see note below). Another advantage of the Twin adapter is that it
supports external clocking, so it even works with most MIDI adapters.
I just tested with an old version of Robolab and it appears to work fine
with my Keyspan Twin serial adapter and PowerBook. I assume newer
versions of Robolab will also work.
> My thinking is that I _could_ purchase an adapter from the modem
> (normal phone line) to the 9-pin serial port on the back of the RoboLab's
> IR
> transmitter unit. Will this work? What have other folks done?
I've never seen anything like this commercially. Stick with USB-serial
converters.
Dave Baum
----
Note about Mac serial ports (don't read unless you're really bored
and/or curious about arcane Mac serial port stuff)...
Originally the Mac had two serial ports - the modem and printer ports -
which were called "A" and "B" within the Operating System. As things
progressed, it became possible to add more serial ports to a mac, and
even the computers themselves shipped with different combinations of
serial devices (such as internal modems, IR ports, etc). Apple added
something called the "Communications Toolbox" to help software find out
about all of the available serial ports. However, even today not all
software is Communications Toolbox aware...many applications still just
assume you have two serial ports: "A" and "B" (or "modem" and "printer").
USB-serial port converters add serial ports to the Mac and usually name
them something that has to do with the device itself like "Keyspan1" and
"Keyspan2" or perhaps just "C" and "D". However, since some
applications don't expect anything other than port "A" and "B", some
converters also support an option where they will be named "A" and/or
"B". In the case of the Keyspan Twin, it allows port 1 to be named "B"
and thus appear as the printer port to software.
--
reply to: dbaum at enteract dot com
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Will RCX work on PowerBook G3?
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| (...) I am having difficulties hooking up RoboLab to a PowerBook G3. First, I am used to a Windows machine, but have had exposure to Macintoshes for many years. The PowerBook differs from a regular Macintosh as it does not have a real 9-pin serial (...) (25 years ago, 4-Apr-00, to lugnet.robotics)
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